For whatever reason, I've discovered I do better if I start writing out the story longhand for the first page or so and then I'm good to switch over to a keyboard. Not sure why that works, but it's what I end up doing every single time. The only time I ever did everything longhand completely was when I was writing research papers for school. Also, I do my best writing after midnight, of either kind.

I ALWAYS start a story as notes, scribbled ideas longhand in a notebook. It feels ... more intimate that way, maybe?

Or possibly less committed.

Yeah, like it's got a reality besides electrons on my screen. Paper gives it heft and smell and "OMG, I wrote something."

Paper gives it heft and smell and "OMG, I wrote something."

That's what my laser printer is for.

Yeah, but I didn't touch it first, the printer did. And printers run out of ink. Plus, the typeset is anonymous. Writing is in my hand.

Huh. Guess I'm a little on the persnickety side about my writing. It might be a kink, even.

I started the story with an outline, but I didn't really use it much. It provided some good milestones for the plot so things didn't wander though. The story morphed a lot as I went along. Then there is the haunting question of whether the wrong character is the main character.

Yeah, I don't do outlines, except in research papers. In fiction, I find it's more like chess. I get the first 5-6 steps down to get my strategy lined up, but then there's too many permutations available after that to try writing them out. As long as I get to my final destination, the rest is very mutable.

Then there is the haunting question of whether the wrong character is the main character.

Is the problem really who the main character is or more a problem of POV? Or something you can change with a POV change?

I'd have to make loads of changes to switch and have it worth doing. It would probably make for a better story, but it would also be a lot harder to pull off and maybe beyond my ability to really take advantage of.

If everybody who reads it says, "it was (whatever descriptor) but I think X should have been the main character", then I might have to rethink it.

I love the Where I Write site, they're surrounded by Stuff too! And Critters!

Find The Writer's Desk in a used bookstore somewhere and spend some time over the photos. Scroll down for a b/w of Eudora Welty at her desk.